ATHABASCA — It was a scene right out of a movie – everyone was sitting down to eat when the call came in, and within seconds, the fire gear was donned, and the sirens were fading into the distance.
At a supper held by the Wandering River Fire Department (WRFD) July 15 to honour the long service of some of its members, not even a delicious steak could keep them from doing their jobs — which turned out to be a crow hitting a transformer — but the fire burned out by the time they got there. Supper also started late because of an accident on Highway 63.
“Dad was the ID (Improvement District) councillor so, when we got the first truck he said, ‘Well, you're young,’” said semi-retired firefighter Tim Rebkowich who officially has 32 years in the department. "I thought it was OK because I was self-employed so I could just drop my work and go.”
That was about 40 years ago; back when Wandering River was still a part of the Lac La Biche ID before being taken over by Athabasca County and because of the proximity to Highway 63, the department deals with the most highway calls of any Athabasca County department, and always has, Rebkowich said.
“The highway gave us so much more work,” he said. “You take 40 years ago there was just a gravel road and before that it was just a winter road to (Fort) McMurray.”
He trails off before referring to the highway by a name that's well-earned – the Highway of Death.
"(The divided highway) has helped for head-on accidents but there’s still a lot of accidents that shouldn’t happen,” Rebkowich said.
Maureen Kirby, who has spent 24 years and counting fighting fires and delivering first aid, said she doesn’t do it for the pay, because there is none, all monies go back to the department to help buy equipment.
“It's not a privilege to serve this community, it's an honour,” she said. “I feel it's something that I've been called and asked to do to help the community.”
Occasionally, they encounter someone they’ve been able to save, and that’s their reward, said chief Andy Snegirev, who has been with the fire department for over 10 years. His wife Roxanne has also joined the department.
“When you help somebody and then they go out of their way and come back,” Snegirev said. “What's the most precious thing you could give somebody? It's your time. There's nothing more precious than that and that’s what we do, we give them more time.”
Charlie Hebert, who has also been with the WRFD for over 10 years, said he would like to see more volunteers because everyone works so it can be difficult to attend a call sometimes.
“I’d like to see it grow, more volunteers, take a load off these guys,” he said. “I can’t say I’ve been on a lot of calls because of work.”
More volunteers are always welcome to apply at all Athabasca County fire departments.
